Georgia and its wine heritage

Georgia is much in the news these days, but sadly not for its impressive wine heritage. Georgia is widely credited as one of the first places to produce wine. Jancis Robinson in her The Oxford Companion to Winedescribes it as “one of the world’s great and historic centres of both wild and cultivated vines”.

The grape varietals used include some little known types such as Mtsvane,Ojaleshi and Tsitska, although there is some more familiar Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

The problem in the UK is finding Georgian wines, and A quick search only yielded two suppliers:-

• Waitrose Wine-online with the Orovela Saperavi 2004 A delicious rich red from Georgia. Saperavi is an old grape variety indigenous to Georgia. In this wine it produces a rich red in a modern, fruit forward style. The palate shows intense flavours of blackberry and cherry and with a long smoky finish. Very limited availability.
• Fareham Wine Cellars who offer 6 wines from the Old Tblisi and Tamada ranges – e.g. the Tamada Mukuzani Dry Red Wine 2001“The wine is deep red incolour with brick red notes around the rim of the glass. The nose is full of berry fruit tones backed by a soft, smokey undertone. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and dry, there are soft tannins and mainly blackcurrant flavours. There are also vanilla / oak flavours derived from the time the wine spends in oak.”

Maybe we should all show a little support for the people of Georgia by drinking their wines – a modest gesture I know!

See also Turton Wines who offer a selection of 12 wines from Georgia